New York Attorney General Letitia James' office is criminally investigating the personal taxes of Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, an official close to the investigation said.
The investigation of Weisselberg's personal finances stems in part from documents shared by Jennifer Weisselberg, his former daughter-in-law.
Alan Garten, the Trump Organization's general counsel, did not respond to a request for comment. Mary Mulligan, an attorney for Allen Weisselberg, said she had "no comment" when asked about the criminal investigation. Jennifer Weisselberg's attorney, Duncan Levin, acknowledged that she was cooperating with the attorney general's office in a statement Thursday obtained by NBC News.
"Ms. Weisselberg has been in touch with prosecutors from the criminal division of the New York attorney general's office since at least March," Levin said. "She has provided information to them as part of their criminal investigation and will continue to cooperate in any way she can be helpful."
Levin has previously said Jennifer Weisselberg met with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office multiple times. Jennifer Weisselberg, who was subpoenaed for documents, has previously told NBC News that she has shared information with that team, which is investigating Allen Weisselberg's time with the Trump Organization and benefits given to his son Barry and his family.
Barry Weisselberg was also a longtime employee of the Trump Organization. There is no indication that he is under investigation, and neither he nor his father has been accused of wrongdoing. An attorney for Barry Weisselberg didn't respond to questions.
News of the criminal investigation of Allen Weisselberg was first reported by The New York Times.
Allen Weisselberg, whose relationship with former President Donald Trump spans decades, might be one of the few people outside the family with the most knowledge of the Trump Organization's inner financial workings.
James' office, which has been conducting a civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization's business practices for over two years, acknowledged that the inquiry had broadened in a statement Tuesday night.
"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA. We have no additional comment at this time," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the office, said in the statement.
Vance's office has separately been investigating a variety of allegations of financial improprieties against Trump's company. Court documents show that Vance is investigating "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization," which could include falsifying business records, insurance fraud and tax fraud.
Vance's investigation of possible financial crimes committed by Trump entered a new phase in March when investigators obtained millions of pages of documents, including eight years of tax returns, from Trump's accounting firm. Trump had fought the release for more than a year, but the Supreme Court cleared the way for the documents to be handed over to Vance's office.
An official familiar with the details said two lawyers from James' office have been cross-designated to join Vance's team after the attorney general's civil investigation developed some evidence suggesting a possible crime.
